I rant, you read, everyone goes home thoughtful (hopefully)
So this rant is borne out of several sources, starting with Fast Food Nation (the movie), which I watched many years ago and also within the last six months. My boyfriend is interested in food, and I'm interested in hidden elements of social/political/economic structure, especially when it comes to food, so we ended up watching Food, Inc. and The Future of Food, among others. Now I've also read Fast Food Nation, and I'm currently working my way through (quite quickly considering how much I've been online as well) Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Recently I read an article about how many vegetarians are switching to eating "humane meat", or rather, meat that has been allowed to live its natural life in a non-factory setting. The article writer clearly saw this as scandalous, and that no one should be allowed to eat meat, ever. (I'm not really exaggerating, either.)
Now, I hate factory farming, and all that the phrase entails, from field to feedlot to processing plants. I think it's cruel and dangerous to animals, hazardous for the monocultures we create on factory-like fields with genetically modified commodities like corn and soybeans, and terrifying on a level not seen since Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Sure, Sinclair was talking about human right violations on a scale not seen in this country for some time (but seen at the factories that produce our goods), and I do believe that animals have some measurable amount of rights, given that I think humans have not been given the right to take advantage of animals for their own scheming purposes (and yes, I do mean scheming).
However, I do think that we are omnivores, and as such should eat some portion of meat on a semi-regular basis. This does not mean eating meat at every meal, or even every day. No, I find that eating humane meat (some call it kosher or halal, as Judaism and Islam require better treatment of their animals) perhaps only a few times a week, and always with reverence and respect for the animal, is best. You have to understand where your meat comes from, and must treat it as something precious, because that's what it is.
Meat didn't used to be so common. It used to be expensive and harder to come by, especially beef. Of course, with the advent of the industrial food complex, this was all turned on its head. I don't need to go into the history here, or explain how corn and soybeans came to dominate farmland throughout the Midwest, or how Monsanto created genetically modified seeds. You can watch the documentaries I've linked from this post or find out more for yourself. And I truly encourage you to do so. If you feel the need or desire to challenge me on this, please do so, because I'd love to hear different viewpoints on this subject. Alternatively, pass this by and continue to eat your feedlot beef burgers... Just know that there is shit in your meat.
Recently I read an article about how many vegetarians are switching to eating "humane meat", or rather, meat that has been allowed to live its natural life in a non-factory setting. The article writer clearly saw this as scandalous, and that no one should be allowed to eat meat, ever. (I'm not really exaggerating, either.)
Now, I hate factory farming, and all that the phrase entails, from field to feedlot to processing plants. I think it's cruel and dangerous to animals, hazardous for the monocultures we create on factory-like fields with genetically modified commodities like corn and soybeans, and terrifying on a level not seen since Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Sure, Sinclair was talking about human right violations on a scale not seen in this country for some time (but seen at the factories that produce our goods), and I do believe that animals have some measurable amount of rights, given that I think humans have not been given the right to take advantage of animals for their own scheming purposes (and yes, I do mean scheming).
However, I do think that we are omnivores, and as such should eat some portion of meat on a semi-regular basis. This does not mean eating meat at every meal, or even every day. No, I find that eating humane meat (some call it kosher or halal, as Judaism and Islam require better treatment of their animals) perhaps only a few times a week, and always with reverence and respect for the animal, is best. You have to understand where your meat comes from, and must treat it as something precious, because that's what it is.
Meat didn't used to be so common. It used to be expensive and harder to come by, especially beef. Of course, with the advent of the industrial food complex, this was all turned on its head. I don't need to go into the history here, or explain how corn and soybeans came to dominate farmland throughout the Midwest, or how Monsanto created genetically modified seeds. You can watch the documentaries I've linked from this post or find out more for yourself. And I truly encourage you to do so. If you feel the need or desire to challenge me on this, please do so, because I'd love to hear different viewpoints on this subject. Alternatively, pass this by and continue to eat your feedlot beef burgers... Just know that there is shit in your meat.